For some of us teachers, completing the yearly district PDP (professional development plan)  is  a source of  stress or frustration and for some it is just another hoop to jump through - but I have some great ideas to make it a more easy, meaningful and valuable process this year. Personally I love choosing my own PD, but  I also love hearing from others what's out there that they think might work for me that I might otherwise not have discovered. With that in mind, here are  3 easy steps to help you make your PDP this year more than just another form to fill out. 

Step 1 Choose Your Own Path 

Start with some questions at the link below (to prompt thinking about the direction you'd like your future teaching to move toward):

Reflection readings: What is important to you? Are you setting goals or just jumping through hoops?

• http://principalhowell.blogspot.com/2014/06/reflection-is-important-what-you-do.html?m=1
  
• http://principalhowell.blogspot.com/2014/08/are-you-setting-goals-or-jumping.html
  

 Here is the Alberta teachers' step-by-step guide to deciding PDP goals (Via Paul Pichurski ):

•  self assessments in case you would like some help deciding which areas to focus on this year
  
•  tools for developing your goals including ways to make them SMART (the research based acronym that is most likely to lead to goal achievement 

Step 2 Gather Personalized Resources

Once you've chosen the direction you'd like to travel in your personal growth this coming year, try these resources:

Besides a new round of our pd book discussion groups for the 2014 school year,  and a new series of online self paced IB training webinars (earn CMS Renewal Credits for Piedmont faculty -please note that only webinar 1 is currently ready for use at this time, but more will be added throughout the year. ), consider incorporating any of the following for professional growth this year:

• Your Friendly school-based PD Facilitator (me!)
• CMS' new personalized learning site created by talented superachiever Jill Thompson) - Great links to resources for PBL, Makerspaces, Flipping STEAM integration and all that good stuff we do here at Piedmont)
  
• Personalize a Challenge for yourself like this Badge Challenge http://adjustingcourse.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/digital-leadership-challenge-update/
• Twitter
  
• Atomic Learning
  
• 2Minute PD videos (search #2minPD on Twitter or Youtube)  or other video tutorials.
• And, Last but NOT LEAST .....  Each Other:

New for 2014-2015 "The Piedmont Rockstar World Tour" Classroom Visit Program - Is there a colleague you'd like to see in action but have no time to do so? Last year I blogged about many great teaching moments here in our building but nothing can compare to seeing a technique live in action. See me and I can cover your class while you pop in for half an hour at a time!

Step 3: Become More Awesome! 

Use the path, try the resources, and see what works. Some stuff will fail but that's ok! How we come back from those failures is a lesson for our students that will last much longer than curricular lessons will.

That's it! Go, Team and Have a Great 2014-2015

This is for all interested CMS Employees:

Are you reading Relationships+Rules+Routines=Results for CMS Summer Reading? Would you like to be able to discuss as you read? If so, go to
 http://onlinebookgroup.cmswiki.wikispaces.net
then request to join the private wiki at the prompt. It's nothing official just a group of us doing an online book discussion as we read each chapter. 

Once you are a member you can ask and answer questions,  make comments for discussion, and share passages that resonate with you as you read from home or anywhere you are. 

I made it a wikispace since wikis have good discussion organization, comments can remain private only to those who join as CMS employees, and most CMS teachers are familiar with the cms wiki, even if they have not used it for discussion before.

If you are not sure what I mean, this video shows what the site looks like once you join and walks through how to add comments and go to different chapter pages for discussion (sorry no sound) http://youtu.be/2t5BHDvxpsk?t=16s

Speaking of Summer PD, this can be a good time to check out old posts you may have missed on this site or scroll through memory lane all the amazingness from last year's learning at Piedmont . 
One of the best ways to get ideas for your classroom is to see what's happening in other rooms, even if it is not the same subject or grade. 

If you're already finished the book, here is my latest list of summer links and news your reading enjoyment!

Enjoy the rest of break!